Team 3000 or Team 5000? THAT IS THE DEBATE
by Storytellerlover
Summary: How long ago did Atem really live? Was it 3000 years ago or 5000 years ago? Click here to read some facts supporting both sides, though I admit this debate mainly goes for the facts of Ancient Egypt, not the screwed up historical suggestions in Yugioh - no offense to Mr. Takahashi-. If you like history, read this, and correct me if I've made mistakes. Enjoy!


Hello fellow nerds!

Ok, so I'm really sorry about my lack of publishing for those of you that actually like my writing (which I'm thinking is a small amount since I've read it again recently and found that most of it sucks) but I promise you, I've been writing. A lot. This is mainly to improve my style of writing so people will actually want to read my stories, but it's also because I like to write and I have odd moments of inspiration so there are several stories being written almost simultaneously (key word- almost).

Atem thinks I'm insane (which is true, really). And Yugi is laughing. SHUT UP.

Ok, so the reason I'm writing this at the moment and not actually working on my fanfics and/or watching anime (particularly Yugioh) and/or watching Crash Course World History (which is awesome and helps with tests even though I only found them toward the end of the year) is because I'm going to put up some facts that can sway the debate in either direction (Yes, Jounouchi, I KNOW I'M A NERD). Also, I'm bored, and I just watched Crash Course World History so I'm in a talkative mood (John Green talks fast so he makes my mind think fast... hence the many run on sentences in this one-shot). Although, since I'm one person amidst many in the world of Yugioh, it's doubtful people will actually pay attention since stubbornness is a common trait.

The debate is this (or at least I think it is); Did Atem live 3000 years ago (as both the manga and the Japanese version of the anime suggests since that's what Kazuki Takahashi originally intended) or 5000 years ago (as the commonly hated 4Kids version of it suggests- btw, the dubbed can't be hated so bad, it has the amazing DAN GREEN!)

Ok, so I'm going to be handing points to both sides. The first points are going to go to the firm believers of the original version. Why? Because according to Suguroku Mutou (let me know if I spelled that right), he found Atem's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, which wasn't built and used until the New Kingdom (apparently people got tired of building huge pyramids to bury the kings in… how astonishing). The New Kingdom started around 1550 BC(E) and lasted until around 1069 BC(E). Now, if Atem was born at the beginning of the New Kingdom, then there's issues with the entire story since he would instead be roughly 3500 years old, but we're sticking with the storyline here.

Now, let's help out the dubbers (yes Anzu, that's a real word… at least it is in my head). In Yugioh, the Egyptian Gods are Slifer, Obelisk, and Ra. Ra (who really wasn't a dragon, but a guy with a falcon for a head) is told to be the Sun God (leading to the near-death of the Thief King Bakura in season 5… and also indirectly to the near-death of our favorite pharaoh), so that means he was also the King of Gods. Ra was only the King of the Gods (and also the creator of the world) in the Old Kingdom. The Middle Kingdom worshipped Amun-Ra, the combined version of Amun and Ra, and in the New Kingdom King Tutankhamen worshipped Amen (wait, I though it was Amun… history sometimes confuses me) as the creator instead of Aten, the god that his father, Akhenaten (hey, that sounds familiar…) forced upon the people and made the priests very angry (heheheh). (Microsoft is convinced that I'm spelling his name wrong. It's not Akhenaton, I swear!)

Now for the Egyptian God, Obelisk (which is hilarious, since there was no such god in history. In fact, an obelisk was this giant stone structure that eerily resembles manhood.) The obelisks are said to have not been built until the Middle Kingdom (so how could the name have been known then? Oh, wait, the only reason Atem knew those names was because he learned them from the future…talk about a paradox), though apparently the pointy top (*giggle*) of an obelisk was discovered, and it was apprently built in the 6th Dynasty to a Pharaoh called Teti, who ruled 2350-2340 BC(E), so if we're going to be picky about dating then it would come in between the 5000 and the 3000, giving the points to the 3000.

Just for fun I'm going to also talk about Slifer. In the manga and Japanese version, he was also known at Osiris. I cannot tell you when the legend of Osiris began, but I'm leaning for around the Old Kingdom. However, since I don't have any facts on that, I can't give points. Instead, I'm going to give crap to the show for a moment. Osiris, like Ra, was not a dragon. Nope, he was a blue-ish green man who ruled the underworld. So that means that the movie got it all wrong. Anubis wasn't the lord of the dead, and neither was he this evil ripped dude with a grudge for a human. He was a jackal-headed guy who was the son of Nephythys and either Set or Osiris (Wikipedia likes to confuse me on this part... and I've read it both ways in books) and served Osiris by judging the souls of the dead with the scales (and that's where the Millenium Scales comes in… and it's the only legit Egyptian item in the show).

Here are some points that really depends on where the city that Atem lived in was located. Many on fanfiction believe that it was Thebes (if it was mentioned in the series somewhere, I've yet to find it). The points might actually go to the 3000 years people since the cast of Yugioh land in Cairo and go _somewhere else_. However, I'm not positive that they went very far, so the points could also go to the 5000 years people. This is because Cairo was also known as Men-nefer (or Memphis, according to the Greeks… I WAS BORN IN MEMPHIS, TENNESEE) was the capitol of Egypt from 2950 BC - 2180 BC. Also, if Memphis really was the home of our sexy Pharaoh (stop glaring at me, Atem) then if the 3000 years thing was true, we would see some pyramids in the show. And they never appear. Of course, this could also be because their in Thebes, but who knows?

So, to save me from losing the last bit of sanity that I have (it's very small, I'd like to keep it) someone, please tell me if it is ever mentioned where Atem lived in the series. I really don't want to go through the entire manga again.

Now, these are just some facts. It's entirely up to you to decide which one you want to go for. The 3000 years team gets more leeway though since that's how it was originally intended by Mr. Takahashi. But even though there's some facts that support it, I honestly tend to lean for the 5000 years team since I was raised on the dub and I like the number and it makes Atem seem more ancient (but he's still wonderfully attractive). Still, I try to stay neutral in my stories (even if it doesn't often work...)

Ok, so that's all I have. If I've gotten any of these facts wrong, please let me know so I can change the points. At the moment, I think Team 3000 won. Either that or they tied. Eheheh… REVIEW.


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